Patients’ rights include sets of rights, responsibilities and duties under which individuals seek and receive healthcare services. They are basic rules of conduct between patients and medical caregivers as well as institutions and people that support them.

Patient rights is a general statement that covers matters like access to care, consent to treatment and confidentiality. Though the details are subject to change, some patients’ rights include:

• Right to be respected
• Right to be informed
• Right to freedom from torture and non-consensual medical treatment and experimentations
• Right to privacy of medical records
• Right to refuse treatment or give limited consent to specific treatment

There is no hierarchy of rights. Therefore, like any other human right, patients’ rights must be duly protected always. The WHO Constitution (1946) envisages ” …the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being.”

Everyone is equal before the law and entitled without discrimination to equal protection of rights under the law. The government plays a major role in protecting all the rights, including the health-related rights, of its citizens.

The following are some of the roles of the government in protecting patients’ rights:

•  Provision of standard and accessible healthcare services

The government has to ensure a reasonable part of a nation or state’s resources is allocated to its health sector. This would help them to provide health facilities like health centres, hospitals, laboratories, ambulance services, blood banks and so on for all the people. These services should be accessible to everyone — including those in the most remote places.

•  Ensuring people are aware of their patients’ rights

The government should be actively involved in ensuring the people are enlightened about their patients’ rights. It should ensure health facilities always inform all their patients of their rights. Being fully aware of your rights limits infringement hence, patients’ rights will be respected and protected.

•  Establishments of laws

The government has a responsibility to create and enforce laws that protect patients’ rights. Anyone found guilty of disregarding or trampling on a person’s right should be duly punished. This will put everyone in check and protect patients’ rights.

We all have roles to play in protecting and enforcing our rights and a few roles of the government in protecting these rights have been mentioned. Being in government is a call to service and protecting the basic human rights of the citizens is a fundamental part of this service.

Author: Ishola Agboola